First Post - Alabama @ Florida update

Well hello blogger world. I've decided to start blogging for pretty much one reason. I'm upset by the lack of available gymnastics news out there on the internet, and I decided to pull it all together into a blog to keep folks updated and for myself to have fun. I'm constantly checking all this news out anyway, so I figured why not pull it together and write some thoughts and share some news with other gymnastics nerds on the internet.

In another nerdified move, I've named this blog Gymnastics Ruminator, mostly because I love Rumi, the Sufi poet.

So! Here is my first post. Hope that more than one person per month reads this! :)

So we're well on the way to the middle of the NCAA gymnastics season and it's kind of a weird one. Florida is kicking some serious ass, but it's mostly because there isn't a lot of kicking ass from other teams. Well, maybe that's not the only reason - Rhonda Faen has said she thinks this is her most talented team she's ever had. They are pretty amazing - Mackenzie Caquatto, Alaina Johnson, Ashanee Dickerson, Marissa King... all really great. Florida has a tendency to peak too early, and I hope that's not what's happening right now. Rhonda seems like a sweet caring coach, and I'd love her to get an NCAA title. Macko won the AA in her first AA meet and apparently had the highest score for an AA debut in Florida history.

Here is the link to their meet against Alabama recently, which wasn't even close.













Here are some highlights you should watch:

Vault:
Florida - Maranda Smith- awesome vault. At 5:04 in coverage. She is on her 6th year of eligibility, which is totally bizarre and I don't know the whole story to, but something about redshirting and year or two. Anyway, I'm always amazed by her clean power, and this vault rocks.

Florida- Macko's vault was pretty poppy, got lots of good block off the horse, makes sense for a world champion silver medalist.

Florida - Marissa King - Ok by FAR the coolest thing of this meet, Marissa hits a vault that is totally competitive on the international scene and she does it freakin' amazingly. Unfortunately because of college scoring rules it doesn't even score higher than Smith's vault, but it's way cooler in my eyes. Glad to see Marissa doing so well at Florida, because she's awesome but also because it gives me more opportunities to hear her cool accent.

Florida was total sticking machine on vault. Cool.

Kayla Hoffman - awesome vault - total stick and total great celebration.

Bars:
Alabama - Becca Alexin - in total Anna Pavlova style, Becca starts her routine without the green flag (light). Which sucks because it's half a point off and her teammate Rachel Terry fell the routine before. Alabama pretty much lost this meet in the first two routines. Sucks for this girl, apparently she's not in the lineup often and hope she's not too rattled by this. The judge in the background shouting at her to stop reminds me of Gina Gogean after she almost broke her head on beam.

Alabama- Ashley Sledge - beautiful flying double layout!

Jordan Moore - she totally belongs in a crazy high reverse hecht club. I've been watching her do that skill for a couple years, and it's so awesome. Maybe one day I'll make a post about it.

Kayla Hoffman - I can't say enough wonderful things about Kayla. I have enjoyed watching her since she was younger in elite. Her skills are so perfect, she remains so tight in her gymnastics, and it's pretty. Kind of reminds me of Courtney McCool without the evangelism. I kind of don't know why people haven't been making a big deal of Kayla all along, if even only for her gorgeous form. She's a senior now and I'm sad about that.

Alicia Goodwin - good clean routine but the highlight is totally hearing Kathy Johnson Clark scream about her double front. KJC speaks so quickly when she gets nervous. I think I still have her in my head saying "full twisting double back" from the 90's.

Alaina Johnson - I know she fell, but that release is SO PRETTY. Her flexibility in it is astounding. When the hell did Alaina get so clean? When she was doing level 10? When she was in the elite scene she was just one giant cowboy. I'm aware of how my friends who are not gymnastics people may be creeped out by that sentence if they read this.

Beam:
Sarah DeMeo - her series! Where did that come from? I haven't really followed her much - but cool - BHS-LOSO-Whip.

Floor:
Diandra Milliner - good tumbling, horrid dance. Great double arabian - legs together. She's really been helping this team out on vault and floor. I say horrid dance, but SO MUCH BETTER than her Michael Jackson routine from level 10 a the Nastia Liukin Cup last year.

Kayla Hoffman - ok I know I'm obsessed but here's the deal - she uses Anna Li dramatic music, she rocks the dance, she somehow doesn't go out of bounds during her full in pike and she is just SO CLEAN!

Maranda Smith - piked full in. So awesome. She's always done that so well.

Macko - I only say this routine is a highlight because her presentation has improved SO MUCH from elite. Her floor used to really bother me, her hands, her dance, the whole situation, but she looks so much improved in this area in only a couple of months. Really cool, plus I like her because she's always so smiley and nice. So yay for Macko, who also has the coolest nickname ever.

Alaina - This is the only Florida floor routine I love. Her dance before her third pass is so beautiful. Her flexibility is awesome -  reminds me of Corey Hartung.

Marissa - Great routine! For some reason I love her gator chomp - but mostly her double layout! It was her first one in competition and she totally hit it! I love how excited Marissa gets after she hits a routine.


Other thoughts:
Why is Geralen Stack-Eaton always looking so bummed? Is it because she trained at Parkettes for her career before college? I feel so sad for her but I don't even know why! She's doing great at Alabama, is really consistent, good difficulty, but she barely smiles at all. I've tried to stalk her on facebook and she seems smiley and happy - is she just doing gymnastics for the scholarship? I want to know! This wasn't her best meet, but she's always like this.

I have a hard time loving Ashanee, maybe it's just her style, slightly sloppy, a little disconnected from the music on floor. I know she's great, and sticks things with her feet apart all the time which is kind of random and funny, but I can't get too into her.

Elizabeth Mahlich's hairdo. It's so....1950s? Or something? Kinda cool.

Weird seeing old rivals Suzanne Yoculan and Sarah Patterson interviewing. I really wonder what their relationship is like. Also if anyone can tell me why people say Sarah Patterson is so mean I will be happy. I'm so curious about her, but there doesn't seem to be much info coming out of Alabama ever.

Randy Stageberg - ok is her name pronounced Stag - eh- berg, or Stage- berg? I've spent way too much brain space wondering that. Anyway, I thought she would make more of a mark in college, but she's been injured, and it's unfortunate, she always struck me as sort of a NCAA gymnast in the making. Maybe she'll pick it up as the years go on. Also - why is she still using that HORRID dance on floor that she was using years ago in elite? She used to pause for like 10 seconds waiting for her music to catch up to her dance, and maybe it just reminds me of that but I'm not sure why she's still going with that dance.

Alabama seems to have dropped a bit of their rather trashy floor routines for some more interesting music. Wonder if they got some feedback?

I love how Macko can compete beam now. In such a short amount of time she's gone from terrified looking up there to solid contributor to her team. Ahhh, the emotional stability of NCAA gymnasts! So refreshing!

I enjoy how KJC calls the Gator Chomp the Where's Waldo of Florida's floor. Ha.

Also love how KJC had front ariel intuition when Kayla was on beam.

It would totally creep me out to see Sarah Patterson staring at me from the end of the beam.

So, a great meet for Florida - season high - they just need to make sure they're pacing for Championships. I really think they have it this year because they are just so.much.better. than the other teams. They have some star power.

Here's another interview with Rhonda, Macko, and Marissa.

http://www.gymnastike.org/coverage/238297-Florida-Gators-2011-Gymnastics-Meet-Videos/video/449194-Florida-Gators-Post-another-Season-High-19755-over-Alabama


Ok! So that wraps it up for my first blog post. I think I'm going to write another one right now because I didn't realize how fun this is until I started doing it!